Auto-towing device



J. R. FLEURY. AUTO TOWING DEVICE. APPLICATION mzo APR. I4. 1920.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- I. R. FLEURY. AUTO TOWING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 14, I920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- @lwucutomi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH BOY FLEURY. OF JAMESTOWN, KANSAS.

AUTO-TOWING DEVICE.

F0 all w ham igmay concern Be it known that I, Josnrn Roy FLEURY, a citizen of the United States, residing at. Jamestown, in the county of Cloud, State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Auto-Towing Device; and I do hereby dcclare the following to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to automobile towing devices and has for its object to provide a device of this character comprising tcle scopically engaged beams adapted to be dis posed beneath the rear axle of a disabled vehicle and provided with means at their forward ends for engaging the forward axle in such a manner as not to interfere with the steering rod of the front wheels. The rear ends of the supporting beams being connected to an axle on which wheels are mounted, said axle being provided with jacks whereby it may be raised whereby the rear end of the disabled automobile may also be raised.

A further object is to construct the tow ing device so that it may be used for raising and supporting the forward wheels of the disabled automobile from the ground.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile showing the device applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of an automobile showing the device applied thereto.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the device.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the front axle engaging members of the device.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the inner face of one of the axle engaging members.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the inner face of the toothed member carried by one of the supporting bars.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view through one of the jacks for elevating the frame of the device.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral. 1 designates a conventional form of automo- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15. 1921.

1920. Serial No. 373,917.

bile and .2 and 3 the front and rear axles thereof. The towing device comprises a U- shaped frame 4. the arms 5 of: which are hollow and. are preferably formed from tubing. 'lclcscopically engaging in the arms 5 are bars (3. which bars are provided with apm'tures T through any one of which pins 8 may pas which also pas through the ends of the arms The forward ends 9 ol' the bars 6 have sccurer'l thereto toothed plates ll). with which toothed plates toothed plates ll engage. The plates ii are pro vided with threaded studs l) which pass thioi gh tillPl'lllIIFl 13 in the ends 9 and re r-eive nuts 14 whereby the plates ll may be adjusted and held in various positions so that the hooked members 15 which engagc the front axle 2 of the automobile may be adjusted to clear the connecting rod 16 of the steering mechanism which rod is differently positioned in dilierent makes of an tomobiles. The arms 5 are provided with yokes l? which pass over the casing of the rear axle and have their arms fastened to the tubular arms 5 of the U-shaped frame by means of nuts l8. It will be seen that by adjusting the bolts 8 that the U-shaped frame may be applied to any automobile no matter what the wheel base thereof may be. The transverse portion 19 of the U-shaped frame "1' is disposed on the axle 20 and hchl thereon by a centrally disguised bolt 21 and the bolts \Vhon the towing device is used on the rear of an automobile as shown in Fig. l. the bolts 22 and 21 are in place as shown in Fig. 3. However, when the front end of the automobile is disabled bolts 22 are removed thereby allowing the vehicle to be towed and guided for the reason that the axle 20 will have a pivotal motion on the bolt 21 which acts as a king bolt. The axle 20 is an underslung one. The ends of the axle are provided with upwardly ex tending arms 23 which arms are provided with ratchet teeth 24. Arms 23 are vertically slidable in bearings 25. or casing 26, on which casings the supporting wheels 27 are pivotally mounted. Pivotally mounted in the casings 26 are operating levers 27. The operating levers 27 are provided with dogs 28, which dogs coiiperate with the ratchet teeth 24 so that the frame 4 may be raised. after the arms 5 thereof have been placed beneath the rear end. or the front end of the automobile. The raising ac tion of the end of the U-shaped frame 4 (iii causes the wheels of the disabled aut0mo bile to be raised out of engagement with the ground thereby allowing the weight of the disabled automobile to rest upon the auxiliary wheels 27, which will allow the disabled automobile to be towed to any desired place. lV hen the towing device is ap plied to the front end of the automobile, the operation is similar to that set forth above. with exception that the bolts 22 are removed so that the automobile may be steered by means of the supporting wheels 27 during the towing operation.

From the above it will be seen that an automobile towing device For disabled an tolnobiles is provided which is simple in construction and one wherein it will not be necessary to remove any of the parts of tll. disabled automobile. it only being necessary to place the arms of the U-shaped frame under the automobile, attach the arms and operate the jacks so that the disabled end of the automobile will be raised.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is A towing device for disabled automobiles comprising a U-shaped frame, the rear end of said U-shaped frame being supported on wheels, the arms of the U-shaped frame having telescopicallv engaging extension memhers, the forward end of said extension mem' bers having secured thereto hooked members for engaging the axle of the automobile. means For adjusting said hooked members at various angles and. in a vertical plane, U-sl1aped bolts carried by the frame arms and adapted to arch one of the axles of the autoi'nobile, the supporting wheels of the Ushaped frame being rotat'zir l v mounted on spindles, vertically disposed guides carried by the pintles, an axle detachably connected to the rear end of the frame and provided Jilh upwardly extending rack bars, said 1*: l; hare; being disposed in the guides carried by the spindlea. and means whereby said raelc bars may be forced dowm 'ardly so that the rear end of the U-shapcd frame may he rai-cd i or raising; the wheels at one end ol' the autmnobile ree from the ground.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two sul'iscribino witnesses.

JOSEPH ROY FTJEURY.

lVitnesses HENRY J. HEREIN, JENs P. ANnnRsoN. 

